Booker then heard a woman screaming for help on the second floor and went back inside.

"I just grabbed her and whipped her out of the bed," Booker told The Star-Ledger.

Booker posted a Twitter message shortly after the incident: "Thanks 2 all who are concerned. Just suffering smoke inhalation. We got the woman out of the house. We are both off to hospital. I will b ok."

The mayor added that one of his security officers had tried to stop him from going inside. "We actually get into a fight because his job is to protect me," Booker said.

Newark Fire Chief John Centanni said Booker and his security detail performed a professional rescue and that their actions may have saved the woman's life.

Booker's heroism has even spawned an Internet meme, "Cory Booker Stories," in the vein of a similar meme created around actor Chuck Norris. In fact, one of the more popular entries from Twitter user @MilesGrant reads, "When Chuck Norris has nightmares, Cory Booker turns on the light & sits with him until he falls back asleep."

Yahoo News reporter Eric Pfeiffer contributed to this report

UPDATE: This story has been edited from its original version to reflect new developments in the story